Purchasing that benefits people, planet and community
Purpose
To support local government and institutions to implement social procurement best practices to build community well-being and resilience.
Vision
To improve the health of our communities and the strength of our economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.
Mission
We work with local governments and institutions in British Columbia to build capacity through training, consulting, resources, and support to implement purchasing that achieves community goals.
Are the dollars you spend benefiting your local community?
In British Columbia, local governments and other large purchasers spend billions of dollars each year on goods, services and infrastructure projects. By incorporating social procurement practices this purchasing power could support the local economy, mitigate climate change, contribute to reconciliation, and provide many additional community benefits.
Social procurement is a growing best practice to align their broader policy objectives with their spending to achieve better value for money. The British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI) aims to take this best practice thinking and approach, and help build a more resilient and more inclusive Province.
What is BCSPI?
Making public sector procurement manageable and achievable
BCSPI makes social procurement implementation manageable and achievable by adding capacity with templates, the BCSPI Community of Practice, and examples to support the heavy lifting involved in implementing new organizational practices and procedures. By mobilizing their existing spending to create social value, BCSPI members are unlocking the doors to stronger and more resilient local economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.
Making public sector procurement manageable and achievable
BCSPI makes social procurement implementation manageable and achievable by adding capacity with step-by-step coaching, training, templates, and examples to support the heavy lifting involved in implementing new organizational practices and procedures. By mobilizing their existing spending to create social value, BCSPI members are unlocking the doors to stronger and more resilient local economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.

Impact at a Glance
Annual Impact Report 2022/2023
Read BCSPI’s Annual Impact Report to learn how our members are turning public spending into measurable community benefits.
Annual Impact Report 2022/2023
Read BCSPI’s Annual Impact Report to learn how our members are turning public spending into measurable community benefits.
BCSPI governance
BCSPI is an initiative lead by Buy Social Canada, a national social enterprise and social procurement leader. BCSPI has an executive committee made up of representatives from the different member types: municipal governments, regional districts, institutional purchasers, and Crown Corporations. The executive committee meets four times per year to provide advice and recommendations for BCSPI.
BCSPI project delivery team

Tori Williamson
Project Manager, Education and Consulting Lead

EMMA RENAERTS
Communications Manager

Em Woykin-Miller
Project Coordinator

KRISTI FAIRHOLM MADER
Impact Measurement

ROBERT FISHER
Impact Measurement

Rory Kulmala
Procurement Specialist and Coach
Get in touch or sign up to the Buy Social Canada newsletter
For more information about BCSPI membership please visit our membership page or sign up for the Buy Social Canada newsletter below to stay up-to-date on news, resources and events.